Thomas Merton's Theology Of Contemplative Prayer

Thomas Merton was born on 31st of January 1915 in the city called Prades. His father’s name was Owen Merton who was born in Christchurch (New Zealand). His grandfather was deeply religious man who taught at Christ’s college at Christchurch. His mother’s name was Ruth Jenkins who was American artist. His father and mother know that they were captives in that world and yet they were unable to get away from it they see worlds in a different way not because they were saints because they were artists. He inherited the way of looking at things from his father and from his mother he grasped some of dissatisfaction with the world and some versatilities. He got capacities for work and vision from both also some enjoyment and expressions. He was about

His theology of contemplative prayer contains the man’s real life that consist continuous search for communion with god also with the ways to search god into own. For Merton prayer has one function and that is to bring man to a personal awareness of his union with god but the man will achieve this awareness if he discovers his true self. The awakening of the presence of god within man is really the result of man’s surrender of his being to god by the man entering into the deepest level of himself and then passing through the centre to his true self where he discovers the freedom that his as a son of god where man is no longer conscious of self but having transformed his consciousness now recognizes himself as a self in god. As this prayer can make people more aware than before of the significance and the value of prayer in his life. It is about man’s life is a continuous seeking of god and finding him by sharing and love with other men. His teachings reveals that the deepest level of communication is not a communication but communion. By linking the happiness to pray he describes it as a the only men in the world happy are the ones who know how to pray. He described that holiness can be achieved when one lives life in its fullness in conscious union with the living god. He considered spiritual life as a goodness of god in his life and must enter into an intimate relationship with him since the fulfillment of his destiny can only be found in him. He describes the climate of monastic prayer as instead we know him in so far as we become aware of ourselves as known through by him then there is a continuity between this self knowledge and this awareness of god. Prayer that man does makes him aware about union of god. Here he describes a monastic meditation prayer it involves reading and contemplation from the centre of man’s being his heart renewed in the holy